Love Inspired Historicals discussion

Wow, that Lyn is fast!

Lacy wrote: "Working with the different brothers and discovering their different personalities has been fun. I'd love to know who some of your favorite alpha and beta heroes are. Any books or movies that stick ..."

I like a hero who is imperfect in some way. I loved Mary Conneally's Seth from "Over The Edge", he was shaped from traumatic experiences as a child and then in the war and was a bit, well, over the edge. :) Karen Wittemeyer also had a character, a big burly blacksmith with a lisp. Brilliant! Both were very likable characters. Pamela Nissan's hero in "Rocky Mountain Homecoming" had a stutter and so avoided certain letters that brought it on. (yet he only stuttered around the girl he felt uncomfortable around~ kind of like a blusher).
Cheryl Reavis' hero in "A soldier's wife" had PTSD and I found that to be a very gutsy heartfelt story.
Winnie Griggs had a character with a birthmark (a female character but it could work either way)...
Oh! And Jane Jackson's hero in "Eye Of The Wind" was awesome! Big, scarred, with a past (captured in war, now on the run) but with a sweet sensitive side and sense of humor. LOved that character. Incidentally the heroine of that story was also unusual in that she was overly tall. I like that, too many authors make their heroine's petite with curly hair and tiny trim waists.
all these things to me make a story more reachable, we can connect with the characters because they're real like us.
Hmmm best movie hero....Depardiux's portrayal (in the french version) of The Count Of Monte Cristo ,hands down, followed by Gabriel Oak in "Far From The Madding Crowd"
Worst movie hero...(people are gonna kill me) Mr Darcy!

Dorcas, I only know some of those characters but I agree with your theory! Whether man or woman, it's always nice to read a book (occasionally, of course!) where a character is imperfect and the other person loves that person anyway! We are all imperfect and the "world" puts too much pressure on all of us to be perfect! Bah humbug!!!

Hi Dorcas! Maybe we need to start a discussion about imperfect heroes and heroines. You have lots of good suggestions for people who like reading about them.

There are a lot of Mr. Darcy fans here but we tend to be pretty accepting of the fact that different readers like and dislike different things. :) I know when I first watched the Colin Firth version of P&P, I refused to watch any more after the first episode, I disliked Darcy so much and didn't want poor Elizabeth to fall in love with him. But my sisters convinced me to keep watching and he did win me over in the end. But I can understand how it might not have been enough for some people.

Valri, you put that very well!

Valri wrote: "Lyn, I just got your book today! Thanks!"

You're welcome. Hope you like it. And if you do, let someone know. Word of Mouth is so important to authors!

Laura wrote: "It is a delight to be in touch with readers. You can't imagine how much your encouragement and support mean to me, especially when I'm all alone, hunched over the computer dreaming up stories. It..."
DITTO!

Lyn, I will! I am reading it right now! I am only on chapter 5 but am enjoying it....nice to be back in Wisconsin (figuratively - I wouldn't want to be there in the summer, been there done that!)

Valri,
Don't you mean winter? :-)

No, I mean summer! It's way too humid for me there.... at least it was the time I visited my cousin who lived in Wisconsin!

Oh, that's probably south of me. We rarely are humid in summer as far north as I am. But of course we're having humid days now--to make me a liar!

I was in LaCrosse? Can't remember how to spell it....it was a long time ago but I sure remember the humidity!!

I got Lauras book today Thanks so much.

Valri wrote: "I was in LaCrosse? Can't remember how to spell it....it was a long time ago but I sure remember the humidity!!"

Well, LaCrosse is right on the Mississippi River which is like a giant trough for moist Gulf of Mexico air. I am far east and north--humidity rarely finds me.

Ah, that makes sense then!

;-)

I'd like to know more about how others feel about main characters who aren't perfect. How much more likely would you be to read about, say, an overweight female heroine than a petite, feminine woman? I love differences in my characters, but have been told by editors so often that readers want to place themselves in the shoes of the characters, so they don't want to imagine being fat. Well, hello, since I could stand to lose a good thirty pounds, I'd like to read something that shows me acceptable, even lovable, romanceable, just as I am.

Hannah wrote: "I'd like to know more about how others feel about main characters who aren't perfect. How much more likely would you be to read about, say, an overweight female heroine than a petite, feminine woma..."

I absolutely agree, Hannah!! I read a short story in one of the novella colllections (I think it was bartered bride or prairie romance collection) and the heroine was Swedish I believe. She was also heavier than most, stocky, you know, bigger boned Swedish. And let me tell you that was such a breath of fresh air. I read voraciously and 99.9% of the time the heroine has luscious curly hair and a wasp like waist. Gorgeous I'm sure, but it's kind of the "barbie effect"~ it tells readers that this is what you need to look like to achieve success/ love. We need more stories that portray reality. And the reality is that we're all flawed. And we all want to be loved.

I've never had a waspish waist in my life, Dorcas, even when I was skinny. I've had some tall heroines, muscular, some older and struggling with weight, but for the most part I've left out much description so readers could more easily place themselves in heroine's viewpoint. Not sure how well it works. One of my favorite love stories ever was of a man with a humpback and bad limp who never had a chance of winning the beautiful young woman until she was taken advantage of and left pregnant. Then she fell in love with a man with a true heart. It's lived with me for decades.

you know what? That's what I prefer : less physical description. I like to imagine my own H /H. I guess cos we all have our own ideas of beauty. For instance when I read of a hero with a dimpled or cleft chin omgoodness! It does NOTHING for me! All I can picture is John Travolta and he 's sooooooo not my type! Then I have to erase the authors description in my mind so I can enjoy the book. lol
As for waspish waists....I think I can name on one hand people who fit in that category. What is it they say? The average American woman is a size 12/14? Now I know that in the prairie days women were probably smaller cos they worked so hard and there were no Dunkin Donuts down the street but still now and then it would be nice to have a story us lesser mortals could relate to. :)
You're a new author to me, Hannah. I need. to check your books out!

This is hilarious, but the first time I think I've ever used a cleft chin was the book I'm working on right now, and the reason for that is because the daughter he didn't know he has--sixteen-year-old-- inherited his chin, so her mother is afraid he'll recognize himself in her. But John Travolta, oh, my goodness, I'd have trouble with that, too. I like him better now that he's aged, but not my type at all. Send me a note at www.hannahalexander.com with your address and name and I'll send you one of my books. Do you prefer historical or contemporary? I have so MANY books, and we're running out of space.

Oh dear ive put my foot in it haven't I? lol You're gonna be picturing J.T now when you write your book. :D
Ive sent you a message here on Goodreads. Have a look in your inbox.
Thanks so much Hannah I cant wait!

Hannah and Dorcas, you guys are funny! I enjoyed reading your comments! As a reader, I don't mind one way or the other but I think every character has to be flawed in some way or it's too unbelievable! The one thing I DO want from an author (as weird as it sounds) is the hair color of the character! I just want to know how the author is picturing the character! Once I know the hair color, then I can start imagining the character on my own! I just need that one, basic bit of info!

I'm the same way, Valri. I also like an idea of the style--short, long, wavy. Eye color also is important to me. Something I love to read but am not as capable is humor. I love, love, love something that makes me laugh but isn't over the top. I try to put humor in my novels, but only when it comes naturally, not slapsticky. (new word)

I like hair and eye color. Height is fine too. Then I let my imagination do the rest. Even though I have changed hair colors in my mind too... lol Too much description drives me nuts. Like freckles. I hate my freckles, so having a hero who loves the heroines freckles only annoys me, doesn't make me feel like I love mine all the sudden...

Too funny, Melody! Thanks, Hannah for you "validation"! I'm glad I'm not alone! I like eye color too. I just didn't think about it when I was writing. The hair style is important to me too although I admit to "changing" it in my mind a couple times - ha ha! If I got to know the heroine as I was reading the book and the author had written her hair as short & spiky and I felt it should be long & wavy - I just changed it! My prerogative! :)

I think we've come up with a new concept--reader license instead of poetic license. We have the right to see whatever we want in the characters we read about. It's more interactive between the writer and the reader. Except, as Dorcas said, I'll now probably see Nick, my hero in present wip as a young John Travolta. Glad the first draft is done. LOL

This is an interesting discussion. Wonder if we held a nationwide poll on this--what would the answer be?

Hannah, thank you so much for all the great info you have shared with us and to hear you are giving all one of your books.......fantastic news
Thank you so much, I know others will be as excited as I am to hear the news.

Oh, Lyn, if we could poll the nation, then people would be trying to stuff their opinions down our throats. Let's just use reader license and gently spread the word. ;-)

Paula, as I said, this has been my first experience talking to others about reading and writing on Goodreads, and it's been such fun. I have tons of my older titles, and as long as I have opportunity, I'll try to find homes for them.

I agree, Hannah, don't let the nation in on it or there would be an overwhelming amount of offers to authors to change characters and we don't want that!

LOL. Exactly. But I will be more mindful about description in the future--after I get the cleft chin out of the way.

HA HA HA :) I can imagine any author that reads our discussion will pause and pause again as they describe the characters now!

I just think its great that authors like yourself can be bothered to ask the reader what they like /dislike. We all write our reviews but I for one was shocked when an author actually responded to my review. I just wrote reviews as a help for other readers or to remind myself what the book was about., I never thought you all might read them too. (Gotta be careful what I say, huh? lol)

Dorcas, I talk with several authors on a regular basis (mostly here or on Facebook) and it's a fantastic experience. It's one thing I love about the internet! I'm grateful for those authors that interact with their readers. Another thing you can do is send emails - most books have an email address somewhere in their book! I've done it and it's a great experience too!

Take it from someone who's been around a lot of other published authors, many do read reviews about their books. I don't. I'd prefer to talk to the readers, themselves, and find out what they like and don't like. But reviews are a terrifying thing for writers. If it's a good review, we get the big-head, and if it's a bad one, we're heartbroken--and the painful reviews stick in our minds, while we forget the good ones more easily. I read them only when I can't avoid it, and I've asked my webmaster never to pass them on to me.

Okay, this is addictive. Believe me, most novelists love talking to readers--you're who we're writing for, so why wouldn't we love this?

I can understand how you feel. Writers need really thick skins. :) But if you can deal with publishing house rejections and overzealous editors us readers must seem pretty tame by comparison. I do try to be nice in my reviews but I will admit that one or two got bombed.lol

I also try to be nice in my reviews. I never get hateful. I'm not that type of person anyway. I know that a "real" person wrote that book and has feelings just like me! Even if a book wasn't my type, I try to be polite and use language that is kind.

I do try to write a nice review I do mention if there is something I didn't like why but always have what I did like as well and wound never write anything nasty. I too love the interaction here with authors.

You ladies aren't the ones who cause the pain--it's other authors being competitive. I've actually heard of a well-known novelist telling others that if they weren't hunting down the books of the "enemy," meaning competition, and leaving nasty reviews with low ratings, they weren't doing their jobs. I don't go in for stuff like that. I'll promote writers I like, but knowing how much it hurts to read a nasty review of one's book, I prefer to not post anything at all rather than hurt another author. As for editors, I love editors. Good ones keep us from making fools of ourselves, and I love someone getting serious enough about my work that they go out of their way to help me grow as a writer. Love them!

I have actually heard it will hurt an author if they are seen by readers and others posting nasty and negative reviews. Heard it can also affect them getting contracts with some publishers too.

Really? I hope so. The problem is catching them at it. I like to promote my writing friends, never tear them down.

If they post on Amazon there are ways to detect them at times. I know the same happens the other way.
Oh lady created about 5 profiles but wasn't that bright lets say she was jane doe she used her real name for one. then Jane D then J doe etc it was so clear it was the same person and all the reviews were almost the same praising a book. She was found out and her profiles deleted from Amazon. I have heard authors who post a review for the same publisher good or bad can have their reviews removed there also. Also nasty reviews are often removed also. Not sure about other sites. The other thing about Amazon readers (some of them) know that many 5 star reviews have been paid for and unless they trust the reviewer ignore them and go for the 3 star reviews that have a balanced review. They also normally ignore one star reviews cos most are from people who like to trash people and often dont even read the book.

its true. A lot of one star reviews are people who tried one page and gave up. If I get bored with a book and don't finish it, generally I don't review it. Exception : if I don't finish it because I come across something hugely offensive. Then I feel like other readers need to be aware of it.
A time or two Ive stopped a book and reviewed it (venting my frustration but not unkindly, I hope, and then out of fairness went back and finished it so I could review it after knowing all the facts (tho it may not adjust my rating.)

I often think people/readers don't understand that reading is a really PERSONAL experience. Not every book is written for every person.

That's why readers prefer some authors over others.

I think a lot of the one star reviews are from people who don't understand this OR
they aren't remembering what their mothers said--If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

BTW, some of you have reviewed my books and you have done a lovely job. I don't read less than 3 star reviews because those are written by people who should have just put the book down.

Lyn! Ive only just now realized who you are! lol I haven't yet read any of your books but I have one. I think its called "the baby bequest " it was in the August love inspired historical bundle. looking forward to it :) I thought I had your other one about the Quaker and the soiled dove but it must have been a sample cos its not showing up on my kindle. ill have to add it to my list...

It's such a relief to see how savvy you ladies are about those dreaded one-star reviews. I'll often read the best and the worst reviews and compare to make a decision about a book. When I review, I do it on Amazon and I give my real name and pen name, so I can't get away with anything nefarious. Thanks for so many helpful insights.

There will always be those people who want to tear down others, not giving a thought to how it makes them feel but for the most part, people give an honest and fair judgment when they do a review. I know there is a real author who is behind that book and who gave a lot a "blood, sweat and tears" to that product so I don't want to do anything to take away from that just because their book wasn't for me - like Lyn said. Every book isn't made for every reader! We all have our favorite authors! That's why we're human!

Absolutely! We all need to keep in mind there's a real person behind every name. A person with feelings.
That being said, I actually think there's a definate place for 1 and two star reviews. (Provided the reviewer gives us valid reasons for that review and isn't being spiteful. Afterall 1 and 2 stars just means that you didn't personally care for it. It doesn't mean its rubbish.)
If someone always gives 5 stars for everything they resd or buy, I for one, stop believing them. And if its anything else besides books (say an electronic device or other product) the consumer needs to know whether the product might be durable or right for them.
So I always read the 1 and 2 star reviews (mostly because its in those reviews that you're going to find out if there's explicit sex or violence or loads of language) and I just ignore the 1 star reviews that are just being ugly for no reason.

I generally do four and five stars on the books I review- because I tend to read books I always really like! ;) I have my favorite authors who never disappoint me, so I feel they deserve those ratings because I can count on book after book after book to be consistently likable. I never want to say anything mean, I am trying to rid my world of negativity. This world has too much of it, and I think what a better place we would be in if we all looked for the positive, and tried to build each other up.

I tend to basis my decisions on if I will buy a book on the excerpt and back cover. I will read reviews but typically after I have read the book myself mainly so the reviews don't make me already form an opinion about a book I haven't read yet and because some people leave major spoilers. In fact I have a hard time writing reviews because I don't want to give anything away. I also get annoyed when people post a 1 star review because the book has a "religious" tone or because the mystery wasn't solved or because the book was damaged. Those reviews really annoy me. The only books I read that the mystery isn't solved is because the book is part of a series/continuity. If you order a book online and it comes damaged that is not a reason to bash the author it is the providers/sellers fault. And as for being to "religious" it is a personal opinion and shouldn't be exaggerated.